Peach Melba


Peach Melba
Peach Melba is a famous dessert created in 1893 by an equally famous chef, Auguste Escoffier, and inspired by the singer Nellie Melba.
There have been many versions of this well-known dish but, in principal, it consists of vanilla ice cream, poached peaches, raspberry coulis and sweetened whipped cream (Chantilly). This is a simplified version.
122 K 3.9/5 (24 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
Keywords:
Last modified on: September 9th 2012
For 6 people, you will need:

Change to the quantities for:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 2 hours 20 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 2 hours
Peach Melba
Prepare 3 peaches: peel and poach them in the Poaching syrup.

Leave to cool then dice (not too small).

Prepare the Chantilly cream.

Stage 2 - 5 min.
Peach Melba
Begin assembling the peach Melba:

Place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream in the bottom of each dish.

Stage 3 - 5 min.
Peach Melba
Add a layer of peaches.

Stage 4 - 5 min.
Peach Melba
Pour some raspberry coulis over.

Stage 5 - 5 min.
Peach Melba
Finish with Chantilly cream and serve immediately.
Remarks
There have been innumerable versions of peach Melba, and just as many strange uses of the term (who has not seen any-old-thing 'Melba', as soon as vanilla ice cream and whipped cream are involved). It's worth remembering that this is the original recipe.

It would be unusual to find the original recipe in most people's kitchens these days, so here's an extract from the master chef's own book 'Ma Cuisine':

Escoffier melba recipe

'Fill the dishes to three-quarters of their height with vanilla ice-cream; place half a tender-fleshed peach, poached in vanilla syrup, in the centre, the outside of the peach resting on the ice cream; place a stone made of praline marzipan in the hollow, giving the illusion of a real stone. Coat with raspberry purée with a little Chantilly cream added. Cover with a light veil of spun sugar.'

At the same time, I wonder if it's possible to taste the original dish anywhere now? Far from certain.

Even so, we can look out for the essential flavours (which chefs call 'markers') which should be present to get somewhere near the original: vanilla ice cream, poached peach, raspberry, praline marzipan and Chantilly cream.
Keeping: Does not keep.
Source: After Auguste Escoffier.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe180 RDI=70 %1,630 RDI=150 %530 RDI=80 %6,700 RDI=340 %28,050 RDI: 340 %
Per 100 g20 RDI=6 %140 RDI=10 %50 RDI=7 %590 RDI=30 %2,460 RDI: 30 %
Per person30 RDI=10 %270 RDI=30 %90 RDI=10 %1,120 RDI=60 %4,680 RDI: 60 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Milk, egg
How much will it cost?
  • For 6 people : 6.55 €
  • Per person : 1.10 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Sugar syrup
Sugar syrup
This syrup is mainly used as a basis for all sorbet recipes, which consist of this syrup and fruit pulp, but it can be also used to soak biscuits for example, or for fruit salads.
February 21th 2011745 K3.5 8 min.
Chantilly cream
Chantilly cream
Chantilly cream, it's simply whipped liquid cream with sugar. It is use in many desserts, but already delicious simply with strawberries or other fruits.
September 17th 2013663 K5 20 min.
Rémoulade dressing
Rémoulade dressing
This dressing is a kind of mayonnaise with vinegar, used for some salads like celeriac rémoulade. Usually it is prepared from mayonnaise, but here is another version, simpler and just as tasty.
October 3rd 2010873 K3.9 6 min.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a cold egg dressing, quite thick, served with many dishes, usually cold too: meat, fish, vegetables, etc.
February 16th 2014807 K5 6 min.
Individual charlottes with morello cherries
Individual charlottes with morello cherries
The French "griottines" are delicious little wild morello cherries, stoned and macerated in a Kirsch syrup, used here in individual vanilla charlottes.
February 21th 2011192 K 15 4 hours 50 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-12-15)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page